Banding for Structural Repair at Timber Connectors

An experimental program combined with on-site inspections have been conducted to investigate the structural integrity of using metal bands to repair longitudinal splits in timber structures. The experimental program of testing five full-scale trusses and repairing with bands showed that banding is a questionable technique for many applications. Several disadvantages of utilizing banding repairs for timber structures were found: (1) There are inherent difficulties in determining which damaged areas are amenable to banding repairs; (2)the possibility of ineffective repairs is great with the current state of knowledge; (3) there is a lack of standard procedures to insure the proper number, placement, and prestressing of bands; and (4) moisture variations may cause significant shrinkage and swelling of wood leading to loose and ineffective bands. It is therefore recommended that banding not be used as a repair technique for timber structures.